Hearts and Spades
by GrovyleFangirl1997
Summary: When Jake comes close to death with a hawk, he's saved by a young Diamondback Rattlesnake who proved to have 'Killer Eyes' despite her innocent and defenseless demeanor. Thinking he's found the Mojave's next Grim Reaper, he takes her under his care only to find out she's nothing more than a nice girl. Could she be hiding her true colors or has Jake made a mistake?
1. Prologue

Many legends have roamed the sands of the unforgiving wasteland known as the Mojave Desert. Some legends continue to glow as bright as a campfire, others are forgotten tales that have been blown away by the desert winds. One legend in particular, has stayed in the desert for many generations; the Legend of the Grim Reaper.

For as long as the Mojave residents can remember, there was a Diamondback Rattlesnake that haunted the sands of the desert. Wearing nothing more than a hat and a belt of ammunition, the reaper rides into towns to reap the soul of those who are cruel; taking them to the black pit to burn for their crimes. However, the reaper could only do his job right when he's caught the soul in a sinister act, whether it been stealing, lying, or cheating. Once he's gotten enough dirt on them, he'd either bite 'em, shoot 'em or constrict them to death, whatever his method he'd get the job done. This demon snake was known none other than Rattlesnake Jake.

Many people say he was around longer before any town was ever built; coming to think that the serpent was as old as time itself. Some believe the only reason he's still alive is because he sold his soul to the Devil in order to continue living on Earth to do the Devil's work, but the truth behind the legend remains among Rattlesnakes of the desert.

Finally, after many years of hiding their secret, one rattler reveals the truth behind the outlaw Rattlesnake Jake.


	2. Chapter 1

Slithering through the sands of the desert, Rattlesnake Jake was taking his leave from another town while dragging his latest victim; a corrupted mouse judge who hanged the innocent men of all the women he had an affair with. The mouse begged the serpent to spare his life, but as the Grim Reaper of the desert, Jake will show no mercy. The serpent outlaw shot multiple bullets into the mouse until it was nothing more than a disfigured mess on the ground, eventually leaving it to rot or to be eaten by the birds of the desert, slithering through the desert once more.

Jake didn't like to stay in one place for too long since most people wouldn't appreciate having the Reaper at their doorsteps, so he took it upon himself to go into town to kill whoever needs to be killed, get his payment, and get the hell out of there; it's been like that for so long it's become clockwork for the Rattlesnake. He didn't mind though, when you're an outlaw you were always on the run, whether it be from law men or rival outlaws.

Despite traveling all over the desert, Jake knew he was getting up in his years; he wasn't as fast as he used to be and his eye sight was starting to fail him. It would only be a matter of time until he was to hang his hat for good.

Suddenly, the screech of a hawk broke the serpent out of his thoughts and made his heart sank! Being in the open means he could be a quick meal for the bird! Jake slithered as fast as he could to seek shelter from the avian!

The hawk watched as the old rattlesnake slithered away in panic, giving them a sense of satisfaction of a chase. Swooping down after Jake, the bird prepared its talons to grab the outlaw, but was knocked out of the air by an unknown force, screeching in pain as it tumbled on the ground.

Upon hearing the thud, Jake stopped in his tracks; what distracted the hawk just now? Whatever it was, it wasn't important; right now he was alive and that's all that mattered. The outlaw was about to slither off when suddenly-

"Alright hawk, I'm gonna give you two options; one, you leave the rattlesnake alone or two, face the wrath of a rattler!" hissed the voice of a little girl.

 _"What the hell?"_ thought Jake as he looked back for a moment. Despite his desire to run away, Jake turned around to see the hawk screeching down at a young female Diamondback, looking fearlessly at the bird. _"What is this kid thinking?!"_ thought the old diamondback as he watched the girl's movements, _"Does this kid have a death wish or something?"_ Despite the fear lingering in the outlaw, he saw the child's eyes showed no fear, but impressively... they were there; 'Killer Eyes'. A child so young to know the thrill of the kill?

The hawk screeched at the child once more as it flew up a few feet above her to prepare a dive attack towards her, but instead of contacting the flesh of the child, its talons collided with the sand once more.

"So you're not taking my offer huh?" commented the young snake from behind as she coiled herself up into a spring, "Alright, you asked for it!" The child sprang up and coiled herself around the hawk. Startled by the snake's actions, the bird took off from the ground in hopes of startling her off his body, but it was to no avail; despite her small size, she was heavy enough to keep him from going any higher than two feet from the ground.

The snake had coiled herself around the hawk's body and positioned herself to make it seem as if she was riding the hawk. Once she got her bearings straight, she unsheathed her fangs and pierced them into the bird's neck, ejecting the venom into his bloodstream. As the hawk screeched and winced in pain, the snake uncoiled herself from it's body and tumbled on the ground, landing herself in front of Rattlesnake Jake.

"Are you okay sir?" asked the young snake as she looked up at his eyes.

"My condition is of no concern to you, kid! What the hell were you thinking; facing a hawk like that?! You could've been eaten!" Jake shouted.

The young snake giggled at Jake's shouting, surprising the outlaw; normally his voice would scare the daylights out of a grown man, even causing them to wet themselves, but this child remained joyful in the face of danger. She coiled herself up from the ground and shook off the sand, "But I wasn't," she commented as she slithered in the direction the hawk went, "C'mon, I got to collect the body before any coyotes get to it!"

Jake watched as the young snake slithered on after the hawk. What on earth is this child thinking; hawks are the number one predator every rattlesnake knows to avoid, yet this child just jumps in front of them and fights them until they're dead. Just who is this kid?

"C'mon mister! Any longer and the meat won't be any good!" she hollered.

"Meat? You eat those damn things?" questioned Jake as he slithered beside the girl. _"This kid obviously has no idea how the food chain works."_

"Yep yep," she gleefully answered as she approached a dune to watch the disoriented hawk spaz on the ground.

Never has Jake seen a hawk so... defeated, and all this was done by a rattler who's ten times smaller than that creature. Soon the hawk collapsed on the ground, limp as a rock.

The young diamondback slithered towards the creature and wrapped her tail swiftly around it's leg and started to drag it. "Better get this to the wagon and fast," she muttered to herself as she struggled. Once she passed by Jake she stopped and looked up at him, "Say, why don't you join me for dinner? Bet'cha you'd love hawk meat."

"I ain't got time to join in your tea parties kid!" hissed Jake.

"Please sir, it'll be a lot safer for us both; I won't be able to replenish my venom for weeks so I won't be able to kill anymore hawks right now," she pleaded.

Damn it the kid was right; she won't be able to save both their hides again even if she tried. "Fine," he begrudgingly answered, "But I don't want any funny business."

"Yay!" she yipped as she continued to drag her kill, "I promise sir, you won't be disappointed!"

"Don't make promises you can't keep kid."


	3. Chapter 2

After slithering for two hours, the young diamondback stopped at a strange looking rock, dropping the reins of the wagon to the ground. Moving towards the rock, she pushed it aside with all the strength her body could muster, opening a passage way to what the outlaw assumed was her den. "Well, this is it," she chirped, as she grabbed the hawk off the wagon, "Home, sweet home." She looked up at Jake and gestured him to go in first. "Make yourself at home sir; I got to do a few things before I go inside."

"Sure you're parents aren't going to be startled you brought a complete stranger home?" he questioned the child.

The child's eyes lost their joyous nature once Jake mentioned the word, 'parents'. "I doubt it, like I said," she turned her attention back to the carcass and inspected its feathers, "Make yourself at home."

The outlaw questioned the child; why would her parents let her take in a person she doesn't know, let alone an outlaw? Is there something she's not telling him? If she was lying to him she'd be in a world of trouble. As he slithered into the den, he reached what he assumed was the living room with rustic orange furniture around what seemed to be a fireplace. The den continues to go deeper, but if the hawk slayer only wanted Jake to be comfortable, then he should go as far as the boundaries go. As he got comfortable on one of the sofas in the room, he noticed some things were a bit... off; the kid he met couldn't be any older than seven years of age, there's has to be some evidence of her having toys lying around, but not a single toy, wooden or stuffed, was in sight. Not to mention, there was nothing but silence in the den; no sound of the kid's siblings slithering through the den nor the sound of a stove cooking up a good meal. Hell, no one had come to the entrance to greet her back to the den. What is up with this den?

Soon the kid came in with two bags in her mouth; one full of hawk feathers, the other containing chucks of hawk meat. Passing by Jake, she carried the bag of meat to what the outlaw assumed was the kitchen to her den. His theory was proven to be correct once he heard the sounds of the stove clicking and the sounds of the kid chopping up vegetables. Moments later, the young snake comes out of the kitchen with a box of matches, and firewood in her coils. Once she was in front of the fireplace, she placed the firewood properly, lit a match and ignited the flames, giving them some warmth for the time being.

"Dinner should be ready in a few more minutes," she retorted as she slithered onto the couch in front of Jake, carrying awkward silence in the air. "Y'know," she started, "We haven't properly introduced ourselves. The name's Eleanor, and what about you stranger; what's your name?"

"Jake," the outlaw hissed, thinking that his name would at least bring a shiver down her spine, but instead Eleanor smiled and nodded her head.

"Jake huh? That's a mighty fine name," she praised, "Care for a drink Jake?" she slithered off her seat and towards a cupboard containing shot glasses and all sorts of alcoholic beverages.

"Don't ya think you're a little too young for alcohol kid?" asked Jake.

"I normally keep it for my guests; poor fellers are often craving for some alcohol after a long trip in the desert," she answered.

"You're telling me folks actually trust you and you yourself trust them? Didn't you're parents ever tell you not to trust strangers?" scolded the outlaw.

Once again, her cheerful demeanor vanished at the mentioning of parents. She looked away from him and coiled herself up, nervous about the future events that might unfold. "Well... Heh, funny story," she chuckled, but immediately cleared her throat, "I guess I better acknowledge my situation here. You see, I was abandoned."

Abandoned? Why would anyone abandon a healthy young rattlesnake, one that has the courage to take down hawks for that matter? "Rattlesnakes don't abandon healthy snakes like you kid; that only happens if you have a deformity on ya," explained the outlaw.

"While I'm flattered that you think of me as a 'healthy' rattlesnake," she paused as she looked at her tail through her coiled state, "But I do have something that's wrong with me. I... I..."

"Spit it out kid!" hissed Jake, if there was one thing he hated more than liars, it was people who stuttered.

Taken aback by his demanding tone, Eleanor uncoiled herself and revealed her tail to the outlaw. Lo and behold, the young rattler was missing the one thing that makes rattlesnakes who they are; the rattle. "I was born without a rattle!" she confessed, then coiled herself to be comfortable, "I know I'm suppose to be a rattler because I got the looks and the venom to prove it, but... as soon as they see my tail they don't believe me when I say I'm a rattlesnake." She lowered her head, ready to hear the laughter of the rattlesnake, or even an attack to end her misery, but he didn't do anything. She looked up at Jake to see him give her a face she couldn't read.

"Kid, what you did back there was by far the craziest thing I've seen a rattler do, but despite missing an important part of you, you proved to have the tenacity and ferocity of a rattler, maybe even more than the average rattler." Jake claimed, causing Eleanor to beam with glee.

"You really think so Jake?" she questioned, only to see the outlaw nod to her question, "Wow, that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Especially coming from another rattler. I honestly thought you'd kill me to put me out of my misery, but I'm really happy you didn't!"

"Kid, I'd kill you if you were lying to me," he snarled.

"Not to worry; nothing comes out of me but the truth," she boasted.

"I better have your word missy," warned the old rattler.

"Oh, you have my word about not lying, and you have my word that the food is probably ready," Eleanor hummed as she slithered back into the kitchen, beaming she's made a rattler friend.


	4. Chapter 3

"Soup's on~" Eleanor hollered, grabbing Jake's attention from the living room.

The old outlaw slithered through the entry way to see a massive dining room with an array of small dining tables decorated with sandy brown tablecloths and small wooden chairs stacked on top.

Eleanor was near a larger table, suitable for serpents like him and her. Opposed to the other tablecloths, the table was decorated with a rustic red cloth with diamond patterns sown into the fabric. Placed on top of the table was a pot of the concoction the kid called 'Stew' and two bowls filled with it.

Normally, Jake would be okay with a free meal, but this stew disturbed him; albeit any snake would kill a hawk out of defense, but to eat its meat after killing it? Just ain't natural.

"I know you're a bit hesitant, but it tastes just like roadrunner meat," she explained as she took a spoonful of stew in her mouth, "At least, that's what the travelers tell me."

Jake wasn't too sure about that, but all he could do was take her word for it. Taking his spoon, he scooped a spoonful and quickly shoved it into his mouth to get it over with. To his surprise, it wasn't half bad; in fact, it was actually the best thing he's tasted in a while.

"Well," Eleanor asked with a smile on her face, waiting to hear Jake's thoughts.

"Not bad kid," he commented as he continued to eat.

"I'm glad you like it," she squealed, "It took me months to figure out which spices worked wonders with hawk meat, but I say the patience was worth it!"

"I'm surprised you haven't burned yourself out of your den," the outlaw uttered.

"I had good teachers; see, when I have travelers staying the night, their wives would teach me what they know from recipes, cooking tips, and how to use a needle. Now I know how to cook properly, and sew fabric into clothing or other necessities. And that's not all; once I even had a carpenter stay at my den and they taught me how to make strong furniture for myself and others. Even had a butcher teach me how to prepare the meat for both myself and my costumers," she explained, "Oh and I had business men stay and teach me how to read, write, and calculate; even how to bargain out my meat, furniture and clothing supply so I can have enough money to support this little den."

Jake marveled at this little snake; at her age she's already an adult in her own right.

"Have yet to have a sharp shooter come around and teach me how to shoot a fire arm though," admitted, looking at Jake's Gatling gun.

"Your previous costumers too afraid to teach a snake?" Jake questioned as he moved his tail out of her sight, slightly uncomfortable at this kid's eyeballing.

"No," she admitted, "They think I'm too young. Not to mention they think my venom is more than enough ammunition for my kind, but what they don't understand is that it takes days if not weeks to replenish. You know what that's like right Jake?"

He simply nodded and went back to the stew before him.

"As much as I want you to teach me how to shoot a fire arm, I'll let you stay the night free of charge for being the first rattler to... well... not tease me about my... uhh..." she shook her tail embarrassingly, "condition."

"Why would you want me to teach you such a thing?" Jake questioned, pushing his bowl away satisfyingly.

"Promise not to laugh?" she asked, only to be given a face of annoyance, "If I'm to be honest, it's because I want to be like... you."

"Me? Kid, you barely even know me," he hissed.

"Personally, no. But, I know who you are from all the legends I've heard from the travelers!" she hollered gleefully.

Jake wasn't too surprised; everyone spoke of him in a bad light, but he wasn't expecting to hear someone see it in a different light.

"The rattlesnake who as old as time; traveling through the desert to find the souls who have been tainted by their dastardly deeds!" she shouted in glory and excitement. "You may be feared by all as a villain, but... I think you're a really amazing guy."

Jake chuckled, this kid was far beyond nuts; not only is she ain't afraid of those damn hawks, but she ain't afraid of the reaper himself. And even if she was, he couldn't tell by the excitement in her big blue eyes. She was still so innocent, but tainted by the blood of a rattler's enemy. Guess that was the beauty of her naivety. "Kid, I'll let you in on a little secret," Jake spoke, grabbing the young rattler's undivided attention, "Rattlesnake Jake ain't as old as ya think."

"What do you mean? Is there a way to be older than time?" she asked.

"Rattlesnake Jake has been a title passed down from one rattler to another; the original Rattlesnake Jake is long gone from this world," he explained, "Once the rattler reaches their limit, they pass it down to the next worthy rattler they find."

"Have you found a worthy rattler yet Mr Jake?"

"No, not yet," he answered, but extended a wide smile as he looked at her, "But I think I found them."

"Me?!" questioned Eleanor, "With all due respect Jake sir, I can't fire a gun!"

"But you can handle yourself pretty well with those hawks with nothing more than rattler's venom," he commented, stopping Eleanor in her tracks, "Listen kid, in all my years of travelling this desert, I've never seen a rattler as brave and as dangerous as you."

Eleanor felt herself coil up with embarrassment and flattery, **THE** Rattlesnake Jake was telling her all of this!

"I'm sure if you pass my trail you can become my apprentice and," he paused, bringing up his Gatling gun tail and shake it, "Earn your rattle."

Eleanor stared at his gun glistening in the light of the lantern's fire. On one end, she'd have to leave the only area and home she's ever known, but on the other end, she'd have a rattle and be identified as a rattler, not only that but the Reaper of the Mojave!

"Alright Jake," Eleanor decided, "You got yourself a trainee."


	5. Chapter 4

When morning arose, Jake stretched out of the bed Eleanor had offered him and started preparing himself for the days ahead. Knowing kids, they'll scream, they'll complain, and they'll be asking too many questions the old snake could handle. Eleanor won't be that much different from other kids despite her 'maturity' and was probably going to be the bane of his existence during this trial. Spirit of the West knows he was going to need all the patience in the world to deal with her. Slithering out of the room, hat and belt attached, he found Eleanor packing everything the two were going to need for the journey.

"Food, water, blankets, matches...," she listed absentmindedly, checking off everything on her list.

"Your trial hasn't even started and you're already packing for it?" asked Jake, startling the young rattler.

"O-Oh, G'morning Jake. I find it better if we were prepared for the journey ahead," she answered.

"Reapers don't prep kid; we trust the desert to provide for us," he hissed as he slithered to the exit.

"O-Oh," she muttered, eventually realizing they were already about to head out, "Where are we going Jake?" She slithered ahead of him and pushed the rock out of their way.

"A place I only know," he said, looking in all directions to figure out which way to go from their current location, "This way. And makes sure to scatter your trail as much as you can!" He slithered off, away from Eleanor's den.

Eleanor looked back at the entrance of her den, feeling a sense of dread if she leaves for too long, but she shook off her uncertainty and followed after the old rattler into the harsh desert ahead.

* * *

After a long day of slithering, they reached an old mountain side with cacti surrounding its edges, each decorated with beautiful cactus flowers of pink shades.

Jake pushed a rock to the side to reveal an entry way for him and Eleanor. He signaled for her to enter first, and watched her slither through.

Once Eleanor had gone through the channel, she entered a small room that was slightly dusty, but surprisingly well kept.

"Jake," asked Eleanor, looking at the elderly snake, "Why did you bring me here?"

"Felt that this den might have something that you might need," he explained, slithering to another tunnel but stopped midway, "Stay there, I'll be back in minute. Don't you dare break anything or I'll break you."

Once he was gone, Eleanor looked around at the den's interior design, simple yet sophisticated. The furniture may have a few scratches and torn fabric, but it was still in good condition. A rusted mirror stood upright in between two shelves on each side. The shelves were mostly barren, but one shelf had a lone picture frame on its surface.

The picture was of two Rattlesnakes, a big one decorated in a beautiful hat and choker and a little one dressed with a simple hat right beside them. Upon further inspection, the bigger snake was much more gentler looking with smooth scales and calm eyes, while the younger snake was showing signs of rougher scales. But the detail that stood out the most to Eleanor was the tail wrapping around the young snake's body, leading Eleanor to think they were mother and son. _"They must've had a good relationship,"_ thought Eleanor as small smile formed on her face, only for it to fall into a frown a few seconds later.

Unknown to Eleanor, Jake was leaning at the entry way of the hall, observing her. The old rattler couldn't help but feel sorry for the young lass; to live so long without knowing the love and care of a parent. He knew that if snakes could cry, Eleanor would be crying a river by now.

Eleanor looked in his direction and flinched when he noticed her emotions were taking over again. "I-I'm sorry!" she hiccuped, trying to collect herself the best she could, "Reapers wouldn't show emotion, would they?"

"You're certainly a fast learner," hissed Jake as he slithered towards her and placed a black hat, similar to his, with a red ribbon wrapped around the break. He then placed a black choker decorated with a lone Ruby in the middle on Eleanor's neck.

Eleanor leaned towards the mirror and looked at herself in admiration. "They're beautiful," she murmured, "Where did you get these?"

"Had them collecting dust in this ol' den, figured I'd give them to a young'n like you," Jake commented.

"How long did you have them here?"

"Since the first owner couldn't wear them anymore."

"Who was the first owner?"

Jake fell silent at her question and avoided eye contact with her.

"If that's too personal," started Eleanor, bringing Jake's hell fire eyes back to her, "You don't have to tell me. Who ever was the owner, I'm sure she was a very kind, very beautiful woman."

 _"She was, in more ways than one, kid."_ Jake thought, but never bothered to say those words out loud. "We're leaving. **NOW.** " he hissed, moving towards the entrance of the den.

"Yes sir."

* * *

Back at Eleanor's den, a lone bobcat found the residence door opened to anyone. "Obviously, no one told the kid it was unwise to leave your door open," he chuckled as he entered the den. Once he was in, he went through every room to find the owner of this place, but couldn't find any sign of her.

"Damn it," he snarled, "Kid's smarter than I thought."

Soon the reflection of metal caught his eye and turned to see a bullet on the ground. He walked over to it and looked it over, soon he figured out who the owner of the bullet was. "So, the Reaper's in on this chase too huh?" he chuckled, as he took out a cigarette and lit it, "Guess I'll be able to kill two birds with one stone."


	6. Chapter 5

When Eleanor exited the den, she noticed the sun was setting into the sand; it'll be cold by the time they leave!

"Jake!" she shouted, grabbing his attention much to his annoyance, "Don't you think we should wait until it's morning?"

"We have to make due with our time kid; the more time we spend here, the more likely we'll get caught by bandits."

"Bandits? Why would they try to attack you? You're more deader than they can ever wish to be."

"Sometimes staying in place will get you in trouble, especially when you're on your own."

Eleanor didn't think about it like that; being the Grim Reaper of the desert means you have a lot of enemies, so more than likely their gangs would try to catch and kill the reaper if given the chance. Not to mention Jake's a lot older now, so that would make him an easy target for them, and even if she were able to fight them off for him they'd still be in trouble.

"Alright," she hesitatingly agreed as she left the den and closed it's entrance, following after the rattler. "So, what am I going to learn first?"

"You're lessons will come once the desert throws them at you," he responded, leaving the young rattler confused.

"Throws at me?" she questioned, looking to the old rattler for an answer.

"The desert is the cruelest place you can live kid; it'll put you through many tests to see if you can survive. If you can't survive, you're better off dead," he explained, obviously giving her a bit of a scare, "Right now it seems like the desert's got nothing for ya kid."

Eleanor expression changed from terrified to worried in a second, "Then how will I know if I got what it takes to be the next reaper?" she asked, worried.

"Calm down kid, desert must be tired just like the rest of us," he commented as they watched the sun setting into the dunes of the of the sandy terrain. With the sun gone, the two snakes got colder and slower every minute. Finally, they found a cavern big enough for the two of them.

"We'll stay hear for the night, in the mean time get yourself settled in and get some rest. I'll gather the fire wood for the both of us," Jake instructed.

"How come you're going to do it? Wouldn't it be easier if I did it instead?" questioned Eleanor. She knew she was a lot younger and strong enough to carry the fire wood. Not to mention, with how old Jake was, she could probably do it a little bit faster for both their sake.

Jake responded with the shake of his metallic tail, "Should I run into trouble, I can shoot it easily. Last I checked you're still replenishing your venom."

"Oh. Good point," was all that could come out of her mouth.

"Now stay put; I'll be back in a bit," he hissed.

Eleanor slithered into a corner of the den and curled herself into a ball. Once she was comfortable, she watched as Jake left the den inch by inch, until she couldn't see any sign of his scales or his Gatling gun. Now that he was gone, she could feel herself getting a little unsettled; sure she was okay with being alone, but this was a little scary to her. Maybe because she wasn't in her typical den, yeah, that must be it! Or... could it be that she's imprinted on Jake much quicker than she thought? No! That couldn't be it, not at all! After all, they're reapers; reapers don't feel emotions, attachment being one of them.

 _"Maybe if I stare at the stars I'll calm down a bit,"_ Eleanor thought to herself as she tilted her head upward and stared out of the opening of her and Jake's den. The good thing about being in the desert is that there are no lights to interfere with the natural lights of the stars, and on a night like this, Eleanor could see the stars bright and clear. Staring up at the stars helps her to keep her mind off of things, sometimes reenacting stories with the stars to help her sleep. Sure, the shapes aren't all there at first, but as she doses off, each shape comes into fruition. Finally, the figure of a jack rabbit frozen in mid-hop was visible to the little rattler.

Keeping her eyes on it, and only that, she let out a great yawn and placed her head on her curled up body. Slowly her eyes drooped with each second she stared at the rabbit, finally the rabbit escaped into the night as Eleanor falls asleep.

* * *

The desert was barren, but it was much more barren than Eleanor liked; no mountains, no cacti, no tumble weeds, not even a single soul in sight. And the worst thing about it, she couldn't find Jake!

"Jake!" she hollered, only to hear her voice echoing in the wind. She tried several times, only for her voice to sound more and more hoarse after each attempt. When she came to the conclusion that he was gone, she started to hiccup at the thought he had abandoned her, just as her family had did.

 _"He's abandoned you."_

"No..."

 _"He knew you were weak."_

"Stop..."

 _"He knew you wouldn't be able to carry the responsibility. You should've just jumped off that cliff when you had the chance."_

Eleanor wanted to bark back at the voice, but with her sore throat she couldn't respond back, even worse she could feel herself bubble with rage, so much rage that it was nearly unbearable.

 _"What's wrong? A little too hot for you?"_ the voice teased, _"If you can't handle this kind of heat you'd never be able to survive the Hell you WANT to go through!"_

Suddenly the unbearable heat started to grasp onto Eleanor, slowly burning her scales. Oh, how she desperately wanted to scream. For help? For Jake? Or merely a response to the pain that was slowly killing her. Eventually the pain was too much to bare and the little snake went limp.

 **"Kid!"**

Her eyes losing any signs of life.

 **"Kid!"**

Breathing slowly stopping.

* * *

 **"KID!"** Jake hollered, trying to wake up the tightly coiled ball that was in front of him.

Eleanor bolted up, gasping for air. Once she had regained her breath, she looked around the now brightened up den with the dancing flames in front of her, and beside her was the outlaw snake. She couldn't help herself, but to jump into him and nuzzle at his under scales.

"Kid, what did I say about affection?" he hissed while pushing her away with his tail.

"I know, I know... but... I had a nightmare," she confessed.

"You're not going to need to huddle close to me are you?" questioned Jake with a sense of bitterness in his tone.

"No, no, I'll be fine," she responded, but couldn't help but be worried.

Jake rolled his eyes a bit and asked, "Need to talk about it?"

Eleanor was surprised he wanted to hear her out, guess the reaper can understand others when he really wants to. "I thought you left me because I was too weak for the responsibility," she started confessing, "Apparently it was too much for me that I was asphyxiated with my own doubt and insecurities. So much so, that I was reminded about my... suicide attempt."

Jake was shocked; Eleanor, quite possibly the most positive rattlesnake he's ever met (much to his annoyance), was going to attempt suicide? "What drove you to take your own life?"

"The isolation; with no one to talk to me, I could've gone with it entirely," she answered.

"What stopped you?"

"Funny story; when I jumped off the cliff, a hawk grabbed me mid flight," she responded, noticing a slight twitch from Jake, "Once he landed, well... pretty sure you can guess what happened to him. After feeling the rush of nearly dying I couldn't have felt more alive. In fact, it made me grateful I was able to live through a hawk attack! So after that misadventure I found my den, and slowly made it into my home and a checkpoint for travelers."

"You have quite the history kid," sighed Jake, "But it's best you left the past in it's place."

"Okay," Eleanor pledged, watching the old rattler stretch himself out then curl into a ball near the fire.

"It's gonna be a long day tomorrow kid; better get some rest," Jake muttered, tilting his hat over his face.

Eleanor went back into her curled position and sighed, laying her head on her body and tilting her hat over her face as well. Heat from the fire slowly lulling her to sleep.


	7. Chapter 6

Just as quickly as Eleanor and Jake had fallen asleep, the sun had started to raise above the sand dunes and mountain ranges of the desert. Shadows of cacti and misplaced objects stretched across the land while the sunlight ruled it all. Eventually the sunlight stretched into the den of the two snakes, hitting Eleanor's face.

Disturbed by the rays, Eleanor groaned as she woke up, feeling a little upset about being woken up early on, but at the same time she knew she was gonna have to get used to it... eventually. She extended her body , only to feel constricted, specifically near her body. _"Oh no..."_ she thought, knowing from her past experience it could be her worst nightmare. She turned around, dreading to see the problem, only to be greeted with her skin shedding off her body.

 _"Oh no! No, no, no, no, no!"_ Eleanor thought, feeling embarrassed to have her skin shed, especially on a day like this! She had to scratch this dead skin off before Jake wakes up, but how?! She franticly slithered out of the den and looked around for a rough surface to assist her. However, the only surface that could help her was the prickly surface of a cactus; as painful as it sounds, she had no choice but to go through with this plan. Placing her hat and her choker aside, Eleanor slithered towards the cactus and started rubbing herself against the spines and the rough texture of the desert plant. Much to her surprise, the cactus was surprisingly satisfying to rub against, especially when she was shedding. As pleasing as it feels, she has to hurry before Jake sees her in this embarrassing state.

"Kid?"

 _"Shoot...!"_ Eleanor muttered, trying to hurry up with shedding, but it was too late.

Jake slithered out of the den, hat and everything. "Kid, we need to hit the trail now, what are you-" he stopped mid sentence when he saw Eleanor hiding behind a cactus, slightly fidgeting to get the dead skin off of her body. Jake sighed, "How could I forget snakes your age shed twice as much as an adult does?"

"P-Please! Can I have a little- wait did you say snakes?" she asked.

"What are you deaf, yes I said snakes!"

"So, it's not a girl thing?"

"Kid, all snakes, scratch that, all reptiles shed their skin when they're growing or getting rid of parasites on their body," Jake explained.

"O-Oh," was all that could escape from Eleanor mouth.

"How long do you need?" he asked impatiently.

"I'm almost done, I just need my head and then I'll bury the skin," she explained.

"You don't need to bury your skin kid!"

"But it's embarrassing!"

"Fine, just hurry up!"

* * *

After Eleanor's shedding incident, the two snakes slithered away from their temporary den and off into the desert. Once they were on top of a sand dune, Jake stopped for moment to get an idea where the two should go.

"So how is my trial going to work? Aside from the desert throwing obstacles my way?" asked Eleanor.

"I'll be deciding a town we'll visit, on the way, your trials will appear as we travel. Once we reach our destination, I'll see if you're fit to be the next reaper," Jake explained.

"Got it," she responded, coiling up into a ball and waited for Jake to choose.

The decision making was put on hold once Jake saw what he assumed was a creature trashing about in the desert sands. "Kid," Jake murmured, grabbing the young snake's attention, "You see that person over there?" he whispered, pointing his gun in that said direction.

Eleanor looked at where Jake pointed, and he was right; there was someone, specifically a rabbit, thrashing about in the sands. Not only was the rabbit trashing about in the sand, he was also naked from head to toe. Sure she's seen many animals that were naked in the desert once or twice before, but she knew this rabbit was much different from the nudist she's seen in her area. _"Quite the curious behavior,"_ thought Eleanor as she tilted her head. "Is this behavior normal?" she asked Jake in a hushed tone.

"We're about to find out," he responded softly as he slithered quietly down the sand dune, with Eleanor following soon after. Once the two snakes were at level ground with the rabbit, Jake instructed her to lay low in the dried grasses of the plain. Once they were settled into the grass, the two snakes can hear incoherent words from the rabbit, at least that's what the two thought. That's when Jake knew this could be a dangerous situation not only for them, but for the whole desert. "See anything else abnormal about this guy?" he whispered, wondering if the kid can confirm his suspicion.

Eleanor squinted her eyes to try and get a better look at this stranger, nothing much stood out except for one thing. "There's some white foamy stuff coming out of his mouth," she responded in a hushed tone.

 _"Odd behavior,_ _foam at the mouth, unable to talk properly; it's gotta be it,"_ Jake thought. "Alright, I want you to coil around him, and hold him still. Avoid the teeth if you can and don't bite him," he instructed.

"Wait, shouldn't you at least tell me what's wrong with him?" Eleanor asked, a little nervous to go towards a stranger acting so... bizarrely.

"Less talking," Jake hissed as he rotated his gun into position, "More action, kid."

Eleanor groaned under her breath and slithered as slowly and as quietly as she could towards the rabbit, hiding herself in the sand should it be that the rabbit stares in her direction. When she felt she was close enough, she dug herself into the sand and throw a pebble to grab the rabbit's attention.

With the sound of the peddle echoing in his ears, the rabbit stumbled in Eleanor's direction, only to be pounced by the young snake. With his entire body bounded, the rabbit started thrashing harsher, even going as far as trying to bite Eleanor. Despite the rabbit's attempts, Eleanor would not let up.

 _"Heh, this is just like wrestling a hawk!"_ she thought as she adjusted herself to his thrashing.

"BETTER DUCK YOUR HEAD KID!" Jake commanded, getting ready to shoot the animal in the head.

Eleanor obeyed and tucked her head down behind the rabbit's back and tightened her grip as much as she could to prevent the rabbit from going anywhere else. Then when she least expected it, a squeak like scream escaped the rabbit as she tightened her grip, only for it to be silenced with a series of bullets shredded its head. The remains of the rabbit was now laying limp in Eleanor's coils, blood dripping onto her scales. She quickly throw the body off of her and looked at the damage done on this poor rabbit.

"Not bad for your first time," commented Jake, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Not bad? Not bad?! Wasn't this rabbit an innocent?!" Eleanor asked, obviously shook from the events that had unfolded.

"He was innocent yes, but he was suffering," Jake explained as he slithered around looking for something.

"Suffering? How?"

"The erratic behavior and that 'white stuff' coming out of his mouth means he was suffering from Rabies kid," he explained as he carried two planks of wood in his coils and slithered close to the rabbit

"Rabies?"

"Once a mammal gets Rabies they're beyond saving kid; you're only option is to kill them on sight or the desert will be infested with rabid mammals," he informed her as he placed the planks of wood over the rabbit's body. Once they were adjusted on, Jake backed off and took off his hat to pay respects to the rabbit.

Eleanor observed the old snake, keeping mental notes to herself while also taking off her hat and pay respects to the stranger, but how could she when all she could think about is the fact that if she does become the next reaper, how was she going to handle killing others just because they were infected by rabies?

"Don't think too much about it kid," Jake commented as he put his hat back onto his head, "The more you kill, the easier it'll be."

She gulped.

"Now move your tail, we're burning daylight," he commanded as slithered straight away from the rabbit's corpse.

"So, where are we going?"

"Mud."


	8. Chapter 7

"Sooo... why Mud?" asked Eleanor as they slithered away from the corpse of a man, "Isn't it a bit scary since their sheriff can kill with just one bullet?"

The older snake chuckled, "He may sound scary, but once you meet him, you'll know the truth behind him. 'Sides, me and the Sheriff made a deal."

"What was the deal?" Eleanor asked with the tone of a business woman, "Just to see if this bargain was of equal trade; you know, businessy things."

"I stay in Mud for as long as I need to, and the citizens of Mud wouldn't have to worry about losing another soul," he responded.

"Sounds about fair; you get some time to rest, while the other people don't have to worry about losing anyone they care about," Eleanor commented, "So how long until we get to Mud?"

"It'll be a while kid, best we keep the talking to a minimum and get along the trail," he commented.

She nodded and followed behind him.

* * *

Three weeks of slithering in the scotching sands of the desert had finally taken the two near the dunes above the road where the cars drove to and from unknown places both the outlaw and the child don't know.

Eleanor curled herself up a little; she didn't like the looks of this area. She may not have traveled this far from her den, but she had heard stories about how this road has claimed many lives with the black tires of each car, some even believe this road has taken more lives than the Grim Reaper himself. Seeing the cars in person made Eleanor think that they were right.

"Road's too busy this time of year, damn humans never knowing where they want to be," grumbled Jake, looking up at the sun's highest point he knew there was another problem, "Road's too hot for safety too, we'll have to wait until nightfall; cars will be less likely to come by."

"What will we do in the meantime?" asked Eleanor.

"We'll each take turns supervising the road and supervising each other; don't want to have bandits taking advantage of us," instructed Jake.

"Sounds like a plan, but what's this about the road being too hot?" she pondered, "Wouldn't that help us to go faster?"

"Heat is any reptiles strength, but in this situation it'll be our downfall. With how much heat the concrete absorbs it lures reptiles to stay longer than they should. Next thing they know they're hit by a car and meeting their Maker."

Eleanor shuddered when she heard the last bit of information. "So it's a trap? Noted."

* * *

By the time the two snakes had gone through eleven shifts of their routine, the sun had settled into the sand dunes while the moon rose from the opposite end with the stars following soon after it.

Although Eleanor was accustomed to staying up late, she had been dozing off ever since she started staring at the lights of the cars going to and from wherever they're going, putting her in a trance like state.

"Kid," Jake firmly called out, breaking Eleanor out of her trance. "Lights can be pretty distracting at night, keep your focus and you won't fall asleep."

"Right," Eleanor responded sheepishly, keeping track of the cars passing by.

Suddenly, a truck slowed down near the side of the road. Once it came to a complete stop, two humans emerged from the vehicle and walked to the back of the car.

"Jake," Eleanor whispered, "Who are those humans? What are they doing?"

Jake slithered to Eleanor's side to see what Eleanor was looking at. Upon seeing the humans two things came to his mind; one was bad, the other was worse. Either one of those thoughts sent his mind into a state of anger as his tail rattled at an alarming rate. "They're either dumpers or Rattlesnake Wranglers, and not the good kind," he hissed, venom dripping out of his words.

"How can you tell if they're either one of those?"

And as if the Spirit of the West had answered her question, one of the humans had taken out a claw like device and a canteen of gasoline from the trunk of the car.

"Shoot," Jake muttered as he started fidgeting a bit, wanting to get away from the area, "C'mon kid, we need to get out of here before they see us."

"But what about your status?"

"They don't care if I'm the Reaper, they'll kill us the second they take us away from the desert!" he whispered.

Eleanor looked back at the humans and saw them pouring the canteen over a rock, which is strange since there couldn't be anything interesting about that rock. Unless...

"Jake!" Eleanor hollered, her voice shaking with concern, "Is there a protocol for saving our kind?" This time Eleanor's voice was firm; she obviously knows what's going to happen.

"Kid, in this world, it's every creature for themselves. What ever you're thinking of doing, you're not going to go through with it," he hissed, staring her straight into her eyes.

Jake may be glaring at her with his scariest look but Eleanor wasn't going to be backing down just because Hell's staring her in the face. Instead she glared back at him with her blue eyes filled with determination and intent of going through with her plan. Despite her efforts, she knew it would be too much of a risk to both herself and Jake, with that knowledge she backed down.

Once Jake saw her stand down, he started slithering away from their surveillance spot. "Let's move it Kid. We need to find a clear opening where humans won't get in our way." He heard nothing but silence; not a single movement from her, not a single question. "Don't go pouting on me kid!" he hissed, turning around only to find her gone. "Kid!" he shouted, slithering forward and saw her slithering the fastest he's ever seen her move.

"I'm helping whether you like it or not!" she hollered, sliding towards a huge rock to hide from human's sight.

 _"This damn kid will be the death of me, I swear!"_


End file.
